The present invention relates to measurement of pressures of process fluids in industrial processes. More specifically, the present invention relates to measuring line pressure in a differential pressure transmitter.
Industrial processes are used in the manufacturing and transport of many types of materials. In such systems, it is often required to measure different types of pressure within the process. One type of pressure which is frequently measured is a differential pressure. This is the pressure difference between one point in the process and another point in the process. For example, the differential pressure across an orifice plate in a pipe containing a flow of process fluid is related to the flow rate of the fluid. Differential pressures can also be used, for example, to measure height of a process fluid in a tank or other container.
In industrial processes, the pressure sensors are typically contained in, or coupled to, a pressure transmitter which is located at a remote location and transmits pressure related information back to a centralized location such as a control room. The transmission is frequently over a process control loop. For example, a two-wire process control loop is often used in which two wires are used to carry both information as well as power to the transmitter. Wireless communication techniques may also be used.
Advancements in transmitter technology have increased the amount of information that can be produced by a transmitter. In particular, transmitters can be equipped with multiple sensors to measure multiple process variable inputs or a wider range of a single process variable. For example, transmitters can be provided with multiple pressure sensors as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,769 to Braden et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,244 to Rud, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,555 to Schulte et al., all of which are assigned to Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn.
In many process installations, in addition to measuring a differential pressure, it is also desirable to measure an absolute or gauge pressure (also referred to as “line pressure”) of the process. This information can be used, for example, to provide more accurate flow measurements by including changes in density of the process fluid in the flow calculations. The additional pressure measurements can be made using a separate pressure sensor coupled to the process fluid.